Winston, the toad (All apologies to the creature in question but he is a toad, although he prefers to be referred to as Winston, Bufo Horribilis Magnificus which I will endeavor to remember in the future but it’s a mouthful and it’s easier just to say toad), Anyway Winston, B.H.M. informs me that he has been inundated with torrents of strange questions and requests and he just can’t take it anymore.
For some reason back when this Feltus thing all started Winston volunteered to handle the mail. I think he thought it would be an interesting window into the weird workings of the human mind, and it has been -exceedingly odd- but he is tired of trying to open tough envelopes with his tender thumbs and toothless mouth and has been complaining about how icky stamps taste and how many he’s had to lick and how he wishes he was back in the swamp surrounded by a golden silence, so I’ve decided that he can just handle the emails and I would lump all the questions into one blog and answer them here and give the poor amphibian a bit of a break.
Between you and me I think he’s peeved that there have been almost no questions directed towards him. As Great Aunt Eunida so gleefully informs us all, her fan mail outnumbers everyone else’s except for Feltus’s. She prefers to answer hers herself however so that she can use her home-made violet-scented envelopes and include special thank you gifts like porridge and flattened mosquito hawks.
So without further ado (or to-do) here are some questions and answers. Please keep writing and asking them.
Was Jo’s childhood like Feltus’s?
My childhood was like Feltus’s in that I was shy and highly imaginative and regarded my bedroom with my toys and books as a sort of sanctuary. I did believe whole-heartedly in magic and the possibility that my dreams were real. I used to adopt animals- never anything as big as a dog or a PoodleRat- (we had two beagles but they didn’t obey me and my sister, and one of them was snappish so we regarded them as belonging to our mother primarily) but small creatures like tent caterpillars, beetles and snakes, and I often rescued baby birds that had fallen out of their nests, and for a short time I fed and looked after two orphan baby squirrels- Peanut and Blackie- until a mean neighborhood boy scared them away. Then for awhile I had a special ring which I believed allowed me to make friends with and communicate with any animal. So I absolutely would have loved to have a PoodleRat for a friend and an entryway into other worlds in my bedroom.
I would love to work with a wild animal rescue organization in the future in particular one that helps crows and owls.
Does Jo have a special writing room?
I do have a study with an old wooden escritoire (fancy word for desk) which folds up and has shelves above which are filled with lots of small jars of fossils and snake skins and polished stones and shells. I have bulletin boards with notes and letters pinned to them and reminders to myself, and pictures of my kids and dogs, and souvenirs from my travels to Europe and Egypt and Central America. It is a quiet room with a large bay window and bamboo blinds that filter the sun and make a cool greenish light. Unfortunately since my daughter was born I have had to move my laptop computer upstairs to my bedroom so that she can play with her toys while I write. Otherwise I would never get anything done. It is not nearly so peaceful and comfortable as my lovely study downstairs.
When is the next Feltus book coming out?
All I can say is that I’ve written something. I like to call it Feltus Ovalton and the Lost Warrior. It is quite large, exciting and funny.
Are there writers you admire?
You know how some people go gaga over Madonna or the Rolling Stones or the Jonas Brothers? I am a tail-wagging puppy over writers. Especially writers like Philip Pullman, Eva Ibbotson, Nancy Farmer, Roald Dahl, Jonathan Stroud, William Nicholson, Michelle Paver, George R.R. Martin and J.V. Jones.
Does Jo like comic books?
I adore comic books and always have done. It is my great wish to attend the San Diego Comic book convention some year and I would be thrilled if one day Feltus was animated. I am such a fan that I would probably dress up, although not as Wonder Woman or Batgirl. Possibly Xena or Cat Woman, however.
I used to consume the British ones- Beano and Dennis the Menace who was much more horrible than the American version, and later Judge Dredd and 2000 AD, but my all-time favorite was Spiderman. I had them all. I wish I still had them all. I am quite partial to Dare Devil as well and Watchmen is brilliant. This is one of the reasons I created a favorite comic book for Feltus- Ragat-Har, Warrior of the Sixth Dimension.
Which director would you like to direct a movie of your book?
Tim Burton or Hayao Miyazaki. Maybe a Feltus musical!
What is Jo’s favorite color? What is Feltus’s favorite color?
Jo’s favorite colors are light green, purple and black. Feltus likes black, black, black these days and sometimes red.
When is Jo’s birthday? When is Feltus’s birthday?
Jo’s birthday is March 16 which makes her a Pisces and a wood snake. Feltus’s is June 11 which makes him a Gemini. This might be why we get along most of the time.
What is Jo’s earliest memory?
My earliest memory, I was around two, I think, is of lying in my parent’s bed and being very hot and itchy, and of a strong smell which I later identified as calamine lotion. I had chicken pox which I generously passed onto my parents who were consequently very ill.
My next and more pleasant memory is of my nonna (Italian grandmother) giving me a bath in a gigantic pasta pot with water heated over the wood-burning stove.
What is Jo’s favorite ice cream flavor?
Pistachio. Feltus likes double chocolate chip.
Would you rather be a wolverine or a Tasmanian devil?
I think a Tasmanian devil because they have those snazzy stripes.
If you could have any super power what would it be?
The power of flight. I was certain I could fly as a child and even now I’m not convinced I can’t. Feltus would like to be invisible.
You created the PoodleRats and they are so cool! Are there any creatures, real or mythical, you wish you had made up?
Philip Pullman’s daemons are great, and how about Platypuses?
How old are Winston and Great Aunt Eunida?
Hmmmmm.
Alright I’m going to tell you but don’t go spreading it around. Winston is as old as Old Faithful and Eunida is two years, five months younger.
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